
Lebap Region ( tk, Lebap welaýaty/Лебап велаяты from the
Persian ''Lab-e āb'') is one of the
regions of Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan is divided into five regions or ''welaýatlar'' (singular '' welaýat'') and one capital city (''şäher'') with provincial legal status. They are Ahal, Balkan, Dashoguz, Lebap and Mary, plus the capital city of Ashgabat. Each pr ...
. It is in the northeast of the country, bordering
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...
,
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...
along the
Amu Darya
The Amu Darya, tk, Amyderýa/ uz, Amudaryo// tg, Амударё, Amudaryo ps, , tr, Ceyhun / Amu Derya grc, Ὦξος, Ôxos (also called the Amu, Amo River and historically known by its Latin name or Greek ) is a major river in Central Asi ...
. Its capital is
Türkmenabat
Türkmenabat ( tk, Türkmenabat, Түркменабат), formerly and since medieval times Chardzhou, (russian: Чарджоу, ''Chardzhou''; tk, Çärjew, links=no, ) ( fa, چهارجوی 'čahârjuy', meaning 'four brooks') and in ancient ti ...
(formerly named Çärjew). It has an area of 93,727 square kilometers, and a population of 1,334,500 people (2005 est.).
[''Statistical Yearbook of Turkmenistan 2000-2004'', National Institute of State Statistics and Information of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, 2005.]
The name Lebap is a Turkmenized form of the Persian ''Lab-e āb'' (), which means "riverside" and has long been used to designate the middle reaches of the
Amu Darya
The Amu Darya, tk, Amyderýa/ uz, Amudaryo// tg, Амударё, Amudaryo ps, , tr, Ceyhun / Amu Derya grc, Ὦξος, Ôxos (also called the Amu, Amo River and historically known by its Latin name or Greek ) is a major river in Central Asi ...
.
It contains the
Repetek Nature Reserve
Repetek Biosphere State Reserve, often referred to as Repetek Nature or Desert Reserve, ( tk, Repetek goraghanasy, ''Репетек горагханасы'') is a desert nature reserve (''zapovednik'') of Turkmenistan, located in Lebap Province, ...
as well as the
Köýtendag Nature Reserve
Köýtendag Nature Reserve, formerly Kugitang Nature Reserve, is a nature reserve (''zapovednik'') in the extreme east of Turkmenistan.
Geography
Established in 1986, it is located in the Köýtendag Range of Lebap Province and covers an area o ...
, which includes Turkmenistan's highest mountain,
Aýrybaba
Aýrybaba (since 2004 officially ''Beýik Saparmyrat Türkmenbaşy belentligi'' - Mount of the Great Saparmyrat Turkmenbashi)
is ...
(3137 meters).
Lebap is also home to the
Dayahatyn
Dayahatyn (also spelled Dayakhatyn or Daya-khatyn or Bai Khatyn in folk) is a medieval caravanserai, sitting on the left bank of the Amu Darya. It is around 170 km to the northwest of the modern city of Turkmenabat, Lebap welaýaty, near t ...
caravansaray.
The region is located along the Amu Darya. The
Kyzylkum Desert
The Kyzylkum Desert ( uz, Qizilqum, Қизилқум, قىزىلقۇم; kk, Қызылқұм, Qyzylqūm, قىزىلقۇم) is the 15th largest desert in the world. Its name means ''Red Sand'' in Turkic languages. It is located in Central Asia, ...
is located on the east side of the river and
Karakum Desert
The Karakum Desert, also spelled Kara-Kum and Gara-Gum ( tk, Garagum, ; rus, Караку́мы, Karakumy, kərɐˈkumɨ), is a desert in Central Asia. Its name in Turkic languages means "black sand": "" means sand; "" is a contraction of : " ...
is located on the west side of the river. About three-quarters of the region's land area is in the Karakum Desert.
The region's sunny weather and abundance of water resources help produce high-quality long-staple cotton.
History
The region of present-day Lebap once occupied a spot along the
Silk Road. The 9th-10th century
caravansaray of
Dayahatyn
Dayahatyn (also spelled Dayakhatyn or Daya-khatyn or Bai Khatyn in folk) is a medieval caravanserai, sitting on the left bank of the Amu Darya. It is around 170 km to the northwest of the modern city of Turkmenabat, Lebap welaýaty, near t ...
is located within Lebap.
Bukhara and Khiva khanates
Prior to the
Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was a period of political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and adopt a socialist form of government ...
, much of today's Lebap Region was part of either the
Khanate of Bukhara
The Khanate of Bukhara (or Khanate of Bukhoro) ( fa, , Khānāt-e Bokhārā; ) was an Uzbek state in Central Asia from 1500 to 1785, founded by the Abu'l-Khayrid dynasty, a branch of the Shaybanids. From 1533 to 1540, Bukhara briefly became its ...
or the
Khanate of Khiva
The Khanate of Khiva ( chg, ''Khivâ Khânligi'', fa, ''Khânât-e Khiveh'', uz, Xiva xonligi, tk, Hywa hanlygy) was a Central Asian polity that existed in the historical region of Khwarezm in Central Asia from 1511 to 1920, except for ...
.
The last khan of Bukhara,
Sayyid Mir Muhammad Alim Khan, nominally submitted to Soviet authority, but in reality joined the
Basmachi movement
The Basmachi movement (russian: Басмачество, ''Basmachestvo'', derived from Uzbek: "Basmachi" meaning "bandits") was an uprising against Russian Imperial and Soviet rule by the Muslim peoples of Central Asia.
The movement's roots ...
and rebelled against the
Bolsheviks
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
. He fled in 1920, and the area was declared a people's republic until
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
power was firmly established in 1924. In that same year, the settlements at Çärjew and Kerki were formally assigned to the
Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic
The Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic (, ; russian: Туркменская Советская Социалистическая Республика, ''Turkmenskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika''), also commonly known as Turkmenistan o ...
, along with the western parts of the Khiva khanate along the Amu Darya.
Recent history
On April 27, 2020, the region was hit by a severe windstorm.
RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a United States government funded organization that broadcasts and reports news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Caucasus, and the Middle East where it says tha ...
alleged that the storm disrupted much of the region's electrical grid, public water supplies, natural gas connections, cell service, and internet connection.
A local human rights website, Turkmen.news, reported that many people were admitted to the regional hospital in
Türkmenabat
Türkmenabat ( tk, Türkmenabat, Түркменабат), formerly and since medieval times Chardzhou, (russian: Чарджоу, ''Chardzhou''; tk, Çärjew, links=no, ) ( fa, چهارجوی 'čahârjuy', meaning 'four brooks') and in ancient ti ...
after suffering injuries.
They also alleged that there was sporadic looting in the storm's aftermath and that food prices in the region rose as a result of the storm.
Local Turkmen media reported 10 deaths resulting from the storm, while Turkmen.news suggested that the true death toll was likely in the dozens, and dozens remained unaccounted for in the storm's aftermath.
The rights group
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human ...
condemned what it perceived as "censorship" by local officials following the storm, noting that one group alleged that local police were watching out for people filming the storm's damage, and another group reported that dozens of people were detained for allegedly sending videos "abroad".
In December 2020, RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty reported that regional officials threatened to cut off the region's population from subsidized food if they were not up to date on their utility bills.
The agency reported that many in the region received seasonal income from farming, and often did not earn money in the winter, and such matters were complicated by a decrease in
remittances
A remittance is a non-commercial transfer of money by a foreign worker, a member of a diaspora community, or a citizen with familial ties abroad, for household income in their home country or homeland. Money sent home by migrants competes wit ...
to the region as a result of the
economic fallout from COVID-19.
Administrative divisions
As of 2021, according to the official website of the regional government, Lebap Region included one city with status equivalent to a district, 10 districts, 14 cities "in the district" ( tk, etrapdaky), 24
towns
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
, 105 rural councils, and 429
villages
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...
.
Districts
As of 9 November 2022 Lebap Region () is subdivided into eight
districts
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...
(''etrap'', plural ''etraplar''):
[ This document is reproduced online at https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Districts_in_Turkmenistan.]
:*
Çarjew (formerly Serdarabat)
:*
Darganata
Darganata (formerly Birata) is the capital city of Darganata District in Lebap Province of Turkmenistan.
Etymology
The name Darganata is of obscure origin. Atanyyazow speculates that ''dargan'' might be from an Arabic-origin root referring to "boa ...
(formerly Birata)
:*
Dänew (formerly Galkynyş)
:*
Halaç
Halaç is a city and capital of Halaç District, Lebap Province, Turkmenistan.
Etymology
Halaç (Halach) is the name of an ancient Oghuz Turkmen tribe. The meaning is obscure. Early linguists divided the name into two parts, ''gal aç'' ("rem ...
:*
Hojambaz
Hojambaz or Hodzhambas is a city and capital of Hojambaz District in Lebap Province, Turkmenistan.
Etymology
The name of the city is derived from Persian word ''"Khâjeh-Jangbâz"'' ("خواجهجنگباز"), consisting of two parts, ''"Khâj ...
:*
Kerki
Kerki is a city in and capital of Kerki District, Lebap Province, Turkmenistan. It was formerly known as Zamm and, between 1999 and 2017, as Atamyrat.
Geography
It is situated on a plain on the left bank of the Amu Darya river. Nearby to ...
(formerly Atamyrat)
:*
Köýtendag (formerly Çarşaňňy)
:*
Saýat
In November 2017 four districts, (
Beýik Türkmenbaşy,
Garaşsyzlyk,
Garabekwül, and
Sakar Sakar may refer to:
* Şəkər, Goychay, Azerbaijan
*Şəkər, Khojavend, Azerbaijan
* Sakar, Nepal
* Sakar, Mali Zvornik, a village in Serbia
*Sakar, Turkmenistan
*Sakar District, Turkmenistan
* Sakar International, an electronics and accessories ...
), were abolished and their territories absorbed by other districts.
In November 2022 another two districts,
Döwletli and
Farap
Farap, also known as Farab, or Firabr, is a city in Çärjew District, Lebap Province, Turkmenistan.
Etymology
The name is of obscure origin and meaning. Vambery considered it a corruption of a Persian phrase meaning "pure water".
Overview
F ...
, were similarly abolished.
Municipalities
As of January 1, 2017, the region included 15 cities (, ), 23 towns (, ), 106 rural or village councils (, ), and 430 villages (, , or ).
In the list below, the lone city with
"district status" is bolded:
:*
Dänew (formerly Galkynyş)
:*
Darganata
Darganata (formerly Birata) is the capital city of Darganata District in Lebap Province of Turkmenistan.
Etymology
The name Darganata is of obscure origin. Atanyyazow speculates that ''dargan'' might be from an Arabic-origin root referring to "boa ...
(formerly Birata)
:*
Dostluk
Dostluk ("friendship" in Turkmen) is a city in Köýtendag District, Lebap Province, Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the n ...
(formerly Yuzhnyy)
:*
Farap
Farap, also known as Farab, or Firabr, is a city in Çärjew District, Lebap Province, Turkmenistan.
Etymology
The name is of obscure origin and meaning. Vambery considered it a corruption of a Persian phrase meaning "pure water".
Overview
F ...
:*
Garabekewül
:*
Gazojak
:*
Halaç
Halaç is a city and capital of Halaç District, Lebap Province, Turkmenistan.
Etymology
Halaç (Halach) is the name of an ancient Oghuz Turkmen tribe. The meaning is obscure. Early linguists divided the name into two parts, ''gal aç'' ("rem ...
:*
Hojambaz
Hojambaz or Hodzhambas is a city and capital of Hojambaz District in Lebap Province, Turkmenistan.
Etymology
The name of the city is derived from Persian word ''"Khâjeh-Jangbâz"'' ("خواجهجنگباز"), consisting of two parts, ''"Khâj ...
:*
Kerki
Kerki is a city in and capital of Kerki District, Lebap Province, Turkmenistan. It was formerly known as Zamm and, between 1999 and 2017, as Atamyrat.
Geography
It is situated on a plain on the left bank of the Amu Darya river. Nearby to ...
(formerly Atamyrat)
:*
Köýtendag (formerly Çarşaňňy)
:*
Magdanly (formerly Gowurdak)
:*
Sakar Sakar may refer to:
* Şəkər, Goychay, Azerbaijan
*Şəkər, Khojavend, Azerbaijan
* Sakar, Nepal
* Sakar, Mali Zvornik, a village in Serbia
*Sakar, Turkmenistan
*Sakar District, Turkmenistan
* Sakar International, an electronics and accessories ...
:*
Saýat
:*
Seýdi (formerly Neftezavodsk)
:*
Türkmenabat
Türkmenabat ( tk, Türkmenabat, Түркменабат), formerly and since medieval times Chardzhou, (russian: Чарджоу, ''Chardzhou''; tk, Çärjew, links=no, ) ( fa, چهارجوی 'čahârjuy', meaning 'four brooks') and in ancient ti ...
(formerly Çärjew)
Economy
Agriculture
Crop production in Lebap is heavily dependent on irrigation from the
Amu Darya
The Amu Darya, tk, Amyderýa/ uz, Amudaryo// tg, Амударё, Amudaryo ps, , tr, Ceyhun / Amu Derya grc, Ὦξος, Ôxos (also called the Amu, Amo River and historically known by its Latin name or Greek ) is a major river in Central Asi ...
. Fields are cultivated when one-and-a-half to two meters above the floodplains of the river, primarily cereal grains and cotton.
Extraction industries
Lebap is rich in various natural resources, most notably, natural gas. The region is home to the
Malai Gas Field and the
Bagtyýarlyk Gas Field, which both serve as major suppliers of natural gas to
China.
The
Garlyk Mining and Enrichment Amalgamate in
Köýtendag District
Köýtendag District (formerly Çarşaňňy District) is a district of Lebap Province in Turkmenistan. The administrative center of the district is the city of Köýtendag.
History
Formed in August 1926 as Charshangi in the then-region of Ker ...
produces
potash
Potash () includes various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water- soluble form. fertilizer, and the
Seýdi Oil Refinery is one of two petroleum refineries in Turkmenistan.
From antiquity, local residents quarried sulfur, zinc and lead in the
Köýtendag (Kungitang) foothills for domestic needs, including casting of bullets.
During the Soviet period, a lead mine was dug and the town of Svintsovyy Rudnik was founded.
[Way: Gurshun Magdan Kani (531255297)]
/ref>
Construction materials
The Lebap Cement Plant in Turkmenabat has a design capacity of one million tons per year. Polimeks built it in 2012. In 2020, construction of a second plant, in Köýtendag District
Köýtendag District (formerly Çarşaňňy District) is a district of Lebap Province in Turkmenistan. The administrative center of the district is the city of Köýtendag.
History
Formed in August 1926 as Charshangi in the then-region of Ker ...
, also with a design capacity of one million tons, got underway.
Power generation
The Zerger power plant under construction by Sumitomo
The is one of the largest Japanese ''keiretsu'', or business groups, founded by Masatomo Sumitomo (1585-1652) around 1615 during the early Edo period.
History
The Sumitomo Group traces its roots to a bookshop in Kyoto founded circa 1615 by Ma ...
, Mitsubishi
The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries.
Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group historically descended from the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company which existed from 187 ...
, Hitachi
() is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is the parent company of the Hitachi Group (''Hitachi Gurūpu'') and had formed part of the Ni ...
, and Rönesans Holding in Çärjew District
Çärjew District (formerly Türkmenabat/Serdarabat District) is a district of Lebap Province in Turkmenistan. The administrative center of the district is the town of Türkmenabat.
References
{{coord missing, Turkmenistan
Districts of ...
will have a design capacity of 432 megawatts. It is primarily intended for export of electricity. The Zerger plant will use natural gas from the Üçajy Gas Field (russian: Учаджинскоe газодобывающеe месторождениe), delivered via a 125-km high-pressure pipeline.
Nature preserves and reservations
*Amudarya State Nature Reserve
Amyderýa Nature Reserve is a nature reserve (''zapovednik'') of north-eastern Turkmenistan.
Established in 1982 to protect part of the Amu Darya River, it is located in the north-east of Lebap Province and covers an area of 495 km2.
It als ...
*Köýtendag Nature Reserve
Köýtendag Nature Reserve, formerly Kugitang Nature Reserve, is a nature reserve (''zapovednik'') in the extreme east of Turkmenistan.
Geography
Established in 1986, it is located in the Köýtendag Range of Lebap Province and covers an area o ...
*Repetek Biosphere State Reserve
Repetek Biosphere State Reserve, often referred to as Repetek Nature or Desert Reserve, ( tk, Repetek goraghanasy, ''Репетек горагханасы'') is a desert nature reserve (''zapovednik'') of Turkmenistan, located in Lebap Province, E ...
Tourist attractions
*Aýrybaba
Aýrybaba (since 2004 officially ''Beýik Saparmyrat Türkmenbaşy belentligi'' - Mount of the Great Saparmyrat Turkmenbashi)
is ...
*Dayahatyn
Dayahatyn (also spelled Dayakhatyn or Daya-khatyn or Bai Khatyn in folk) is a medieval caravanserai, sitting on the left bank of the Amu Darya. It is around 170 km to the northwest of the modern city of Turkmenabat, Lebap welaýaty, near t ...
caravansaray (in use 9th to 16th centuries)
*Dinosaur plateau
See also
OpenStreetMap Wiki: Lebap Province
OpenStreetMap Wiki: Districts in Turkmenistan
References
{{Authority control
Regions of Turkmenistan